Electric mine car cleaner



July 19, 1955 N. A. MICHAELSON Filed Jan. 9, 1953 ELECTRIC MINE CAR CLEANER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 "a/MQW A TORNE'r July 19, 1955 N. A. MICHAELsoN 2,713,429

ELECTRIC MINE CAR CLEANER Filed Jan. 9, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNET July 19, 1955 N. A. Mlcl-lAe-.LsoN 2,713,429

ELECTRIC MINE CAR CLEANER Filed Jan. 9, 1955 4 'Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENToR. /Yfz 04/ AWM/AEL s0# fmeA/ey July 19, 1955 N. A. MICHAELsoN ELECTRIC MINE CAR CLEANER Filed Jan. 9, 1955 United States Patent O The present invention relates to an automatic electric mine car cleaner and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

Generally there is provided an automatic electric mine car cleaner which is designed not only to empty the car of the main portion of the coal contained therein but to rid the car of wet slack or coal dust which clings to the bottom and sides of the mine car when the coal is dumped therefrom whenever water happens to be present in such car when the car is loaded. The present invention provides means whereby to remove this wet coal dust. This is done by automatically and electrically driven hammers which strike against the bottom of the mine car when the mine car is in its inverted position.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a novel means for quickly and easily ridding a mine car of wet coal dust which ordinarily clings thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and yet effective and efficient in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character set forth, novel cam actuated hammers forming a part of the invention.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevational View of an embodiment of the invention showing a mine car in upright position therein.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l but showing the mine car in inverted or unloading position,

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a bottom plan View of the device shown in 5 Figures 1 and 3,

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the device in the position illustrated in Figure 2,

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 5,

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view similar to Figure 2 but illustrating certain details of construction therein, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein a rotary car dump of conventional design and including circular end bearing-engagement supports 10 in which is securely mounted frame members 11 provided with an opening 12 into which extends from the frame members 11 a pair of side flanges or ledges 13 which ledges are adapted to engage in longitudinal guide ways 14 formed on the side of a mine car 15.

The dump is provided with a pair of rails 16 upon which the wheels 17 of the car 15 are adapted to norupon the bolts 41 and 42 in each case.

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mally rest. The frames 11 are provided with cross supports 18, in each case which cross supports support the rails 16 and the structure embodied in the present invention. Centrally mounted at one side of the bottom of the member 18 is a motor 19 provided with a shaft 20 which is connected by means of a coupling 21 with a shaft 22 extending from a gear reducing mechanism 23. Extending from opposite sides of the housing 23 is a pair of shafts 24 and 25 which are respectively connected by means of couplings 26 and 27 to shafts 28 and 29. The shafts 28 and 29 extend longitudinally of the support member 18 and the shaft 28 is journaled in brackets 30 and 31 connected to the bottom of the support 18 while the shaft 29 is journaled in brackets 32 and 33 likewise connected to the bottom of the support 18.

Axed to the outer end of the shaft 28 is a cam 33 while like cams 33 are aiiixed in spaced relation upon the shaft 29, there being three of such cams in the device illustrated in the drawings.

Each of the cams 33 is adapted to rotate in contact with a roller 34 which rollers are axed to a shaft 35 which extends through an outer yoke 36 and an inner yoke 37, the outer yoke being welded to a lever 39 while the inner yoke 37 is welded to a lever 38.

For each of the cams 33 and their associated levers 38 and 39 there is provided a pair of upwardly extending brackets 40 and a bolt 41 extends through the bight portion of the yoke 36 and the brackets 4t) while a bolt 42 extends through the brackets 40 and the bight portion of the yoke 37, this providing pivotal points for the levers 38 and 39, respectively.

The outer ends of each of the levers 38 and 39 are provided with clevises 38a and 39a, respectively, which clevises each encompass the upper portion of a hammer shaft 44 which is journaled in each case in the support 18, as indicated at 45, and each of which is provided at at its other end with an integrally formed hammer 46. A pin 43 extends through the upper end of each shaft 44 and has welded thereunder in each case a washer 43a which surrounds the shaft 44 and against which the clevises 38a and 39a are adapted to bear. The upper sides of the clevises 38a and 39a are rounded, as shown in Figure 7.

The car 15 is provided with a bottom 47 against which the hammer heads 46 are adapted to impinge and the circular end bearing-engagement supports 10 are adapted to be moved by a pair of bottom rollers 48 at either end thereof.

In operation, it will be apparent that the car dump is adapted to be rotated so that the car is inverted from its normal position as shown in Figure 1 to an inverted or dumping position as shown in Figure 2 by means of the rollers 48 which bear against the circular supports 10.

. Also, it will be apparent that when the car reaches its inverted position as shown in Figure 2, certain contacts, not shown, will come into play to provide electrical current for the motor 19 which will act through the reducing gearing in the housing 23 to rotate the shafts 28 and 29 at approximately one revolution per second. This action will cause the cams to likewise rotate since the cams 33 are keyed to their respective shafts 28 and 29. This action will cause a lifting of the shafts 44 upon each revolution of the cams 33, the levers 38 and 39 pivoting When the cam makes each revolution, it will at a certain point during such revolution allow the hammer shaft 44 and the hammer heads 46 to violently contact the underside or bottom 47 of the car being unloaded thus shaking and violently knocking away therefrom and from the sides of such car all wet coal dust which otherwise would remain adhesively secured to the bottom and sides of such car.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein,` it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the character described comprising, in combination `vith a rotary dump for mine cars including a pair of circular supports, a transversely and longitudinally extending frame carried by said supports, a pair of car-supporting rails affixed to the normal upper side of said frame, and means carried by said frame for supporting a mine car in inverted position, the provision of a longitudinally extending shaft carried centrally on the normal underside of said frame, pairs of hammer shafts perpendicularly journaled in said frame at either side of said shaft for reciprocal movement, hammer head carried by each perpendicular shaft at that end thereof on the normal upper side of said frame, pairs of transversely extending brackets centrally affixed to the normal under side of said frame, a pair of levers pivotally mounted be tween cach pair of brackets and each in slidable engagement at its outer end with the free end of a hammer shaft, means for limiting said slidable engagement, a yoke formed on the inner end of each lever, one of said yokes being receivable in the other, a pin looesly interconnecting said yokes, a roller mounted on said pin, cams afxed to said longitudinal shaft and each bearing against one of said rollers, and means carried by said frame for revolving said longitudinal shaft.

2. A device of the character described comprising, in

combination with a rotary dump for mine cars including a pair of circular supports, a transversely and longitudinally extending frame carried by said supports, a pair of carsupporting rails aixed to the normal upper side of said frame, and means carried by said frame for supporting a mine car in inverted position, the provision of a longitudinally extending shaft carried centrally on the normal underside of said frame, pairs of hammer shafts perpendicularly journaled in said frame at either side of said shaft for reciprocal movement, a hammer head carried by each perpendicular shaft at that end thereof on the normal upper side of said frame, pairs of transversely extending brackets centrally aixed to the normal under side of said frame, a pair of levers pivotally mounted between each pair of brackets and each in slidable engagement at its outer end with the free end of a hammer shaft, means for limiting said slidable engagement, a yoke formed on the inner end of each lever, one of said yokes being receivable in the other, a pin loosely interconnecting said yokes, a roller mounted on said pin, cams afxed to said longitudinal shaft and each bearing against one of said rollers, and means carried by said frame for revolving said longitudinal shaft, said last-mentioned means including an electric motor mounted upon the normal under side of said frame, reduction gearing likewise mounted, and suitable shafting interconnecting said motor, said gearing and said longitudinal shaft.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,524,888 Fish Oct. l0, 195() 

